Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to storage device trays, and, more specifically, to a tool-less storage device adapter tray.
Description of the Related Art
A conventional mass storage device may be a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD). Storage devices such as HDDs and SSDs are typically manufactured with standardized 2.5-inch and 3.5-inch form factors. Such conventional storage devices can be coupled to a computing device via a storage device tray. The storage device is usually mounted to the tray using screws, and the tray is then mounted within the computing device.
Conventional storage device trays are typically designed with a large form factor that is capable of housing 3.5-inch storage devices, and computing devices are generally designed to accept storage device trays having this larger form factor. The larger form factor storage device tray not only provides sufficient space for 3.5-inch storage devices, the design also provides sufficient space to house the smaller 2.5-inch storage devices. A 2.5-inch storage device can be mounted within the larger form factor storage device tray using mounting brackets and four small screws. The mounting brackets can be coupled within the storage device tray and provide a stable mounting point. The screws are inserted through screw holes in the mounting brackets, and then tightened into a sink in the storage device to secure the device within. Thus, a larger form factor storage device tray may act as an adapter between a 2.5-inch storage device and a computing device that accepts storage device trays designed to accommodate 3.5-inch storage devices.
One drawback associated with traditional adapter trays is that, as described above, mounting the 2.5-inch storage device within the tray requires a number of small screws in order to securely fasten the storage device. Mounting the storage device using these small screws is tedious and time-consuming and also prone to error. These issues are compounded with larger server machine implementations where tens or hundreds of 2.5-inch storage devices may be deployed.
As the foregoing illustrates, what is needed in the art is a technique for mounting a storage device having a small form factor within a storage device tray designed with a larger form factor.